Compartmented dish



23.8, 102; ISO/0.5

United States Patent [111 3,545,642

[72] Inventor James [56] References Cited Barring, Island UNITED STATES PATENTS P 1 523 1968 1,698,489 1/1929 Bickford 220/102x 1 FM rs N 372 913 2,553,880 5/1951 Stigler 220/ux 2,641,912 6/1953 Lawler 220/23.8 g ggg 2,816,589 12/1957 Tupper..... 150/05 [451 i 3,079,028 2/1963 Rosner 220/22 [73] Ass1gnee Dart Industries, Inc.

Los Angeles, California FOREIGN PATENTS acorporation of Delaware 547,437 5/1956 Belgium 220/42(C) Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance Attorneys- Robert P. Whipple and Harold R. Beck ABSTRACT: A convertible compartmented container of the [54] COMPARTMENFEEPISH type adapted to employ a centrally positioned removable 3Claims8Draw threaded handle in one mode of application or to accom- [52] US. Cl 220/20, modate a hermetically sealing closure in another mode when 2, 2 0/ 1 the handle is removed. The threaded portions of the container [5 l Int. Cl- B6511 1/24, and handle being further constructed so that the bottom of the 365d /28 handle stem and a boss positioned therealong will approxi- Field of Search 220/20, 22, mately simultaneously abut portions of the container as the handle is attached thereto.

PATENTED 05a 8 I970 SHEET 1 0F 2 INVIZNTOR.

JAMES B. SWETT ATTORNEY P ATENTED DEC 8 I970 SHEET 2 DF 2 R w V NS 8 S M A U ATTORNEY 1 COMPARTMENTED nrsrr CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 372,9 l 3, filed June 5, 1964-, now abandoned.

This invention relates generally to a compartmented container assembly for both receiving and retaining articles for shipment and serving, and specifically relates'to such a divided dish including a plurality of separate compartments for receiving various foodstuff commodities or the like, which compartments may be effectively sealed off from each other.

It is desirable to store certain materials such as foodstuff perishables in a cool, refrigerator area so as to better preserve such materials. Often, however such materials are ill-effected by moisture normally present in refrigerators and it is therefore desirable that materials such as candy which becomes sticky when subjected by moisture normally present in refrigerators and it is therefore desirable that materials such as candy which becomes sticky 'when subjected to undesirable amounts of moisture be refrigerated in a moisture barrier container. Foodstuffs and the like also undesirable take on odors and flavors imparted thereto by other materials stored therewith. It is therefore desirable that the container prevent such or odor and flavor pickup. It is also desirable that the container be useful to separately store several differing materials while preventing admixture thereof. It is thus the main'object of the present invention to provide a-' container which accomplishes the above recited desirable features while eliminating those features deemed to be undesirable.

Another of the principal objects of the present-invention is the provision of a compartmented container which is utilizable in the storage of foodstuffs and the like under refrigerated storage conditions and which compartments are adapted to contain unlike quantities of such foodstuffs and the likeand which compartments are effectively separated from each other. i v

Another object is the provision of a compartmented container assemblyhaving a removable handle for use when the part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container of the present invention with the serving handle in place;

FIG. 2 is also a perspective view of the container of the present invention and shows the serving handle removed therefrom and the top seal in place thereon;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the compartmented container assembly with its handle affixed and in serving position;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the present compartmented container assembly;

F IG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view on an enlarged scale of one end of the compartmented container and seal therefor shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view with portions broken away taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 3; and,

FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view taken along a central plane of the container and showing the details of the serving handle and its receiving means.

Referring now to the drawings,which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, the reference numeral 10 tainer 11, a cooperating handle 12 therefor, and a cooperating top seal member 13 therefor. The open-topped container 11 includes a bottom wall '14 and an annular sidewall 15 upwardly extending therefrom so as to form a receptacle. The annular sidewall 15 terminates in an upstanding peripheral rim 16. A circumferential stiffening flange or rib 17 is provided on the outside of the container 11 and extends generally normal thereto. Flange 17 is provided with handle extensions 18 extending outwardly therefrom. An upwardly extending boss 20 is located centrally of the bottom wall 14 and a plurality of spaced inner walls 21 an are integrally connected to the boss and radiate therefrom into integrally connecting positions with the outer wall 15 so as to divide the interior of the compartrnented dish into a corresponding plurality of separate compartments 22, three of such walls being shown as an illustrative arrangement. The boss 20 is' preferably located so as to be at the approximate center of balance of the container so as to provide proper control when the device is supported by means of its handle 12 such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawings.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 through 4 of the drawings, container 11 is provided with a top seal member 13 effectively providing an airtight cover therefor. The top seal member 13 is comprised of a central generally planar wall 23 having a downwardly opening U-shaped groove 24 along its periphery. The U-Shaped groove 24 is formed by spaced upstanding walls 25.and 26 and a connecting topwall 27 there between. The outer wall 26 of said spaced walls and 26 is further provided at its lower extremity'with a generally normally extending flange 28 which flange may be further provided at a convenient point or points with a tab member 29 so as to facilitate the upward flexing to of the groove 24 from the upstanding rim 16. The cooperative engagement with the upstanding rim 16 and the downwardly opening groove 24 effectively forms an top seal such as that more fully brought out in U. US. Pat. No. 2,859,786 to Earl Silas Tupper. Top Member 13 is preferably formed of flexible material such as low density polyethylene. It can thus be seen particularly from the enlarged showing of FIG. 6 of the drawings that by appropriately spacing the points at which the inner wall partitions 21 connect with the outer wall 15 below the upper edge of rim 16 and by constructing the inner spaced wall 25 of the top seal member 13 so as to terminate and integrally connect with the central wall 23 at this point, the top seal member 13 appropriately contacts the several partitions 21 along the upper edges 30 thereof. I

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, the construction of the central upstanding boss 20 is best shown. Such boss 20 is composed of a cylindrical open-topped sidewall 32 having an imperforate bottom 33 in relation to a generally conical depression 34 formed in the bottom 14 of the container. The cylindrical walls 32 terminate in a flat upper edge 35 which may form a stop or bearing surface for the handle 12 as will hereinafter be more fully explained. The interior of the cylindrical boss 20 is provided with continuous screw threads 36. It is also clear from the showing in FIG. 8 that the partitions 21 outwardly extend from the bottom 14 of the container 11 a distance equal to that of the upper termination of the centrally located boss 20 so that their respective upper edges 30 and 35 are essentially flush with each other. In this manner then, edges 30 and 35 cooperatively form a continuous surface for mating and sealing engagement with the planar central portion 23 of the top seal 13 in a manner which will also hereinafter be more clearly explained.

The handle 12 is best shown in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 of the drawings and comprises an upper closed loop portion 37, a central shaft 38 and a lower terminus 39 having external screw threads. A flange 40 is provided between the shaft 38 and the threaded terminus 39 and is spaced from the end of terminus 39, a distance equal to or slightly greater than the depth of the open-topped boss 20 from its bottom wall 33 to its upper edge 35 as indicated by X in FIG. 8 of the drawings. In this manner then, the handle 12 may be threadably engaged with the central boss 20 and continuously downwardly threaded until the end of its terminus portion 39 contacts the top portion of the bottom wall 33 of the boss. At this point as best shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings, the flange 40 abuts the top edge 35 of the boss or is slightly thereabove. Thus continuous screw thread operation is provided between both cooperating members without the danger of having the terminus 39 of the handle 12 which is generally formed of plastic material necked down or be subjected to strains at such reduced bore portions which would be conducive to failure.

Referring now to H6. of the drawings, the central planar portion 23 of the top seal member 13 is shown as downwardly deflected in a manner so as to tightly engage the top edges 30 of the respective partitions 21. Thus as the cooperation of the upstanding rim 16 with the inverted groove 24 provides a generally airtight fit in the container 11, the interengagement of the top seal with the partitions 21 effectively produces generally completely enclosed compartments separate from each other. The extent to which the top seal 13 and the partitions 21 contact each other can be increased at the outer areas where the partitions contact the outer wall by providing a slight arcuate sweep 41 to the terminal portions of said partitions 21 as best shown in H0. 6.

ln operation, separate foodstuff materials may be separately placed in each of the illustrative compartments, the top seal placed thereon, and the container placed in a refrigerated storage place or transported with the reduced possibility of liquid spillage from one compartment to the other as well as reducing the possibility of one foodstuff material absorbing the odor from another and adjacently compartmented material. The effectiveness of the sealing engagement between the top member 13 and the upper edges of the individual partitions is appreciably enhanced in a manner as hereinafter explained and entitled burping. By pressing down on the top seal 13 while such is in mating engagement with the upstanding rim 16 at points generally centrally disposed over each compartment lying thereunder and with the aid of a cooperative flex of the downwardly disposed groove 24, a portion of the entrapped air within the container can be vented, thus creating a partial vacuum within the imperforate container. The difference in pressure created between the interior and exterior sides of the top seal 13 further sealingly urges the central wall 23 into tight engagement with the upper edges 30 of the separate partitions 21.

Thus the compartmented container assembly of the present invention presents an extremely useful item which can be utilized to refrigerate and transport differing materials such as foodstuffs and the like with reduced chance of liquid spillage from one compartment to the other and with the reduced likelihood of one material absorbing the or odors emitted from the other. The housewife can accordingly fill each compart ment up with a different material, e.g., stewed prunes, chocolate candy, and olives, place the top seal in airtight engagement therewith and after preferably burping the container, place such in the refrigerator orthe like for storage thereof.

When it is desired to utilize or serve the item contained in the compartmented container, the top seal 13 is removed and the handle 12 affixed for ease in its transponation. The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principle of the invention. Further, since modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art, such as for example only, the storage of materials other than foodstuffs including cultures, photographic film and uncatalyzed plastic resins, the invention is not intended to be limited to the exact construction and operation shown and described and accordingly, all suitable modifications or equivalents falling within the scope of the invention as claimed are included.

lclaim:

l. .A convertible container and serving dish of the class described comprising an open-topped imperforate container having a plurality of upstanding partitions walls radiating from a centrally disposed open-topped boss, said partitions dividing said container into a plurality of compartments said boss having a closed bottom defining wall and mtenorly threaded for receipt of a supporting handle, a supporting handle, said handle being provided at the lower end thereof with outside threads for mating engagement with the interior of said central boss, said supporting handle further provided with a radially extending flange, said flange abutting said handle threaded portion and removed from the lower end thereof a distance equal to or slightly greater than the inside depth of said boss, an upstanding peripheral rim on said container extending above the upper terminal edges of said partitions and said central boss, an imperforate and flexible top member having an upstanding downwardly opening U-shaped peripheral groove for generally airtight sealing engagement with said upstanding peripheral rim whereby reduced pressure within said container sealingly urges said flexible top member into engagement with the upper edges of said partitions.

2. A server comprising a serving means and a removable handle therefore, said serving means being fabricated from plastic materials and comprising a tray having an open-topped boss portion, said boss portion having a closed bottom defining wall and a top edge portion and being threaded for receipt of a removable supporting handle, said removable supporting handle being fabricated from plastic materials and being provided at the lower end thereof with threads for mating engagement with the threaded portion of said open-topped boss, said handle further being provided with a flange member positioned adjacent said handle threaded portion and removed from the lower 'end of the threaded portion of said handle a distance equal to the depth from the top edge portion to the bottom wall of said boss whereby said flange will abut the top edge portion of said boss when said handle is threaded thereon.

3. A server according to claim 2 wherein said serving means is formed as a serving tray with a plurality of individual compartments symmetrically disposed around said open-topped boss. 

